Webb City has owned the COC-Large and really any conference they’ve been in for the last decade and a half. The Cardinals have won a ridiculous 87 straight conference games and 16 straight conference championships going back to 1999. With the entire conference taking major hits and leveling out the balance of power, could Webb City finally be vulnerable for a conference loss? With Carl Junction joining the conference this year and Joplin making the jump soon, things could soon change in the COC-Large. Neosho and Willard continue to establish consistency; Nixa and Carthage are quietly two of the best programs in Class 5 and Ozark is a sleeping giant.
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Preseason Awards
Co-COC Large Champions: Webb City and Carl Junction
Player of the Year: Rayquion Weston, Carl Junction
Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Coleman Scott, Neosho and Nicos Oropeza, Nixa
Defensive Player of the Year: Trey Gibson, Webb City
Lineman of the Year: Zeke Wall, Carl Junction
Breakout Player: Riley Watkins, Republic
Where did all the stars go?
So, it hurts me to say this but the COC-Large is getting a facelift. Logan Tyler is gone to Florida State. Chase Allen to Iowa State. Trystan Castillo is competing for an offensive line spot at Mizzou and Hunter Yeargan is going to wrestle at Ohio. Devin Hames, Kaden Roy, Tyson Roderique, Jerney Jones, Kolesen Crane, Keaton Burroughs, Alex Derryberry, Tyler Ralston and Austin Heatherly are all gone. The list of COC-Large graduates is like a who’s who of Ozarks Football over the last few years. Such is life in high school football; good kids come, they dominate and then they graduate. While it is all par for the course, it makes the 2016 conference championship race about as open and interesting as it has been in a while.
Is Webb City finally due for a rebuilding year?
Webb City is still Webb City and if you’re a betting man then you can throw down some green that they’ll win 10 games. But, after playing for six consecutive Class 4 state championships since 2010, winning five of them and racking up an 88-2 overall record, the question again becomes is this the year Webb City becomes human? At the surface the losses are jarring with Roderique, Castillo, Crane, Burroughs and more all moving on. The Cardinals will look to replace their starting quarterback, four of their top five rushers, their top five receivers, and six of their top seven tacklers. Basically, they lost everything. This isn’t anything new for John Roderique – he’s had several rebuild/reloads in his 19 seasons as head coach – but the scope of this one is larger than it has ever been. There are some positives… Hunter Vanlue (705 rushing yards, 13 TDs in 2015) is back for his senior season and he will be the next star in Roderique’s veer. Tight end Channing Mickey is one of the best in Missouri and Josh Goddard didn’t get much attention playing next to Trystan Castillo, but the Pitt State commit was one of the conference’s best two-way linemen last year. Defensively state champion wrestler Brandon Musselmann is back at defensive end and Trey Gibson is coming off a junior season that saw him rack up 164 tackles and four interceptions. This will again be a good Webb City team, they’ll just lack some of the offensive explosion that Webb City teams over the last decade have had. With Carl Junction returning several key pieces from a team that exchanged haymakers with them in last year’s district semifinal, as well as a loaded Camdenton team dropping down from Class 5, the road to state will be the toughest it has been in years. We’ll know everything we need to in the first two weeks of the season with trips to Carl Junction and Carthage, which could put Webb City’s eight straight COC-Large titles, and 87 overall conference wins going back to the old Southwest Conference, in jeopardy. But again, this is still Webb City and they are the king of the hill until someone pushes them off, which has proven impossible for any local team recently.
USELESS INFORMATION: The last time Webb City and Camdenton played was in the 2005 state playoffs. Camdenton won 21-14 at Webb City. It was the best high school football atmosphere I’ve seen. The only other team to beat Webb at home since then is Kearney in 2009.
Can the new Dog be the big Dog?
For years people have given Carl Junction a hard time for competing in the largely Class 2-3 Big 8. Now, those days are behind CJ with the transition to the COC-Large. The Bulldogs are 30-5 in three seasons under Doug Buckmaster, with four of those losses coming to Webb City. Last year was the first time that CJ was truly competitive, losing 14-7 in the district semifinals. The best gift you can give a Class 4 coach in Missouri is a win over Webb City and this will be Carl Junction’s best chance to do it in decades. There are several key pieces gone with Ryan Devore (QB), Dominic Burnett (RB), Braydon Allen (WR), Cole Carter (LB) and several linemen all moving onto college, but the crop of returners might be the most talented in the Ozarks. Junior Zeke Wall continues to grow into one of the best defensive line prospects in Missouri and sophomore running back Rayquion Weston (562 yards, 10 TDs) is one of the best running backs in the Midwest, regardless of class. Those two have already earned a steady stream of FBS interest. Aaron Ludders, Lucas Berliew and Weston Wendt all have legitimate track speed (See Class 4 400M Relay championship) and Keaton Taber got plenty of reps last at quarterback and many think he’s as talented as any quarterback that has come through Carl Junction; it’s just a matter of him putting it together. Buckmaster is known for his offensive genius, but this defense will be the best that he’s had. Michael Elbert (84 tackles, 5 INTs) and Hunter Adams (48 tackles) are back, again, in the secondary. Both have been mainstays in Buck’s D. Quincy (94 tackles, 9 TFLs) and Zay’Shawn Weston (46 tackles, 6 INTs) are also back at linebacker and corner, respectively, and bring speed and swag to a defensive unit that returns almost everyone. Carl Junction’s overall team speed will be unreal; the big question mark is their play in the trenches. Last year they got their doors blown off by Lamar because the Tigers were able to own the trenches on both sides. However, against Webb City, they were able to win the line of scrimmage battle and almost stole a win. Many people in the Springfield area might not understand just how good Carl Junction is and has been for the last few years. Adding them to an already loaded conference only adds to the overall quality of the league. There are no gimmes and adjusting to seeing teams like Nixa, Carthage and Willard rather than East Newton and Seneca may take some time. But from a pure talent standpoint, Carl Junction is good enough to win the COC-Large in its first year. We will learn a lot about them right out of the gate with Webb City coming to town in Week 1, followed by a visit from an underrated Republic team. And, to help add to the drama of Year One, the Bulldogs close the season at Nixa.
How serious is Neosho?
Three years ago Dustin Baldwin couldn’t buy a win. Literally, Neosho went 0-10 in 2013, his first year with the program. After leading Class 1 Miller to four straight 10-win seasons, Baldwin took on the ultimate rebuild at Neosho. They struggled to a 3-17 record in his first 2 years, but Neosho is no longer the doormat after going 7-4 last year, the Cats’ first winning season since 2009. Devin Hames was arguably the best back in the conference last year and he leaves a gaping hole in Baldwin’s offense, but the cupboard isn’t empty. Coleman Scott will be the triggerman again after an impressive junior season. Baldwin loves spreading the field and exploiting mismatches and Scott’s ability to run instantly make him a mismatch, but he’s one of the league’s best at beating you with his arm. He also has plenty of weapons returning with jitterbug Payton Klier (892 yards from scrimmage, 8 TDs) back in the mix. He’s part back, part receiver and complete handful. Think Darren Sproles. Ethan Siler (17 receptions, 371 yards, 7 TDs) is also back. Neosho also gets a huge addition in the form of Bryce Murphy. The 6-foot-3 senior was extremely good as a sophomore for a Neosho and returns to the ‘Cats after a year in Utah. He can potentially be the best vertical threat in the conference. Keep in mind that Neosho lost two games by a combined four points last year and no one can fault them for the loss to Webb City. They are clearly heading in the right direction. Much like Carl Junction, it’ll come down to line play and can Tay Cable help galvanize the group. Neosho also has to be better defensively, which was a major issue at times last year.
No Derryberry, no Carthage… right?
Coaches in the COC-Large will celebrate the graduation of Alex Derryberry as if he was their own kid because that’s how much of a headache he has been over the years. Carthage might as well disband the program, right? What is Carthage Football without a Derryberry? Well, the answer is complicated. Simply put, Carthage won’t be as bad as people assume considering the losses. This is another team with offensive line questions and depending on how well they play, this Carthage team could be a sleeper in the conference and Class 5, or they could be in the lower half of the league. Coach Guidie has some skill position talent to work with. For starters, Trey Collins will be one of the best two-way players in the league this year. He was a stud as a junior (1,080 rushing yards, 12 TDs; 76 tackles, 3 INTs) and that was just the start of his coming out party. He will take on an even bigger role offensively for Guidie, who hasn’t been shy about letting his feature backs tote the rock in the past. Keith Guest II (1,268 total yards, 15 TDs) played extremely well last year following Derryberry’s injury. What better way to learn the system than to watch one of the best guys to ever run it? He also has Logan Kabance back at receiver and the senior has plenty of experience on both sides of the ball. Both Collins and Guest could have monster seasons depending on how things go upfront. Tucker Edmonson is a man-child (6’3”, 330lbs) and on several D-1 radars, but no one else lining up next to him as extensive varsity experience. If they can get some strong line play, this team will compete for another district championship. If the line struggles not only will the offense be mediocre, but junior linebacker Dillon Lancaster will have a lot fewer free runs to ball carriers.
Can Robin takeover for Batman?
The most important question for Nixa is will this be a rebuild or will this be a reload. The Eagles Signing Day celebration was basically a graduation party for their eight seniors moving on to play collegiate football. They will miss Chase Allen and Logan Tyler a lot, but it might be even harder to replace Austin Heatherly, Mason Harvill and Mason Stipp on the line. There will certainly be a rebuild aspect to it, but Rich Rehagen does have several key pieces returning, led by Nicos Oropeza (1,654 rushing yards, 21 touchdowns). It’s no secret that Rehagen has a little of old school to him and he loves to line up and run it; bringing back a work-horse back (Oropeza had 292 carries in 2015) and linemen Layne Jennings and Ben Lambton should allow him to do that. Oropeza was an absolute stud last year and thrives in power football or in space. The biggest question is how that all works without Allen and Tyler. They were such a large part of the offense last season and each defense had to account for them. The lack of balance now means that every defense will be loading the box to stop Oropeza. Andrew Rivera played great football at quarterback last year and doesn’t mind tossing it around and it’s no coincidence that Allen played his best football with Rivera at quarterback. But the returning experience on the perimeter is minimal; the Eagles will have to find some playmakers. Nixa’s run at a third straight district championship will hinge on its ability to develop its receiving corps and the rest of its line. If you were able to see Nixa play at the jamboree last year, or any JV games, you know there is no shortage of size at Nixa. Also, keep an eye on the development of junior Alex Allen (TE/MLB). Both his sister, Angie, and his brother, Chase, are D-1 athletes so it’s hard not to believe that the youngest won’t be continuing the trend.
Jerney Jones was a majority of Republic’s offense last year… and the entire area, for the most part, enjoyed watching the show. He’s now at Mizzou and Republic, led by junior quarterback Riley Watkins, will look to continue to move forward without him. It didn’t take long for Watkins to learn the ropes last year and his style is a perfect fit for what Wes Beachler wants. He’s a great runner and even better at making reads, which is part of the reason Republic was so tough to defend last year and he’s an underrated passer. Like, way underrated. He didn’t have to sling it around the yard last year, but he’s more than capable if called upon. This year should be a breakout year him. It also helps that All-COC-Large lineman Bryan Cole is back in the fold, as well as tight end Riley Russell. Republic lost some big names up front, but return several familiar faces on the offensive line. No Jones means that the lead back role in Republic’s offense is up for grabs. I like David Feil and he will be a name that will get called a lot. His style is a little bit like Jerney Jones, but Feil also has great hands out of the backfield. Regardless of who is toting the rock, as long as they follow Bryan Cole things should be okay. There are some holes to fill, but returning one of the conference’s best quarterbacks and linemen is a nice start. Losing some of those seniors like Nic Daigh and Zach Dickens will make the defense an area of concern. Republic may not look good early, specifically because they open the season with Bolivar, Carl Junction, Webb City and Nixa, but by October this could be a sleeper from the area in Class 5.
Best of the Rest
Chad Depee’s first year at Ozark wasn’t quite what he or fans expected with the Tigers going 1-9. The bad news is with the conference being pretty quality from top to bottom wins will again be tough to come by. The good news is Ozark’s Class of 2018 is finally in position to contribute as a whole. Many compare this group to the class of Cody Lindsay and those guys; the one that went all the way to the Class 5 final four and upset power Lee’s Summit West. This class has plenty of size of upfront and a pair of backs in Nathan Burlage (453 yards, 4 TDs) and Curt Gracey that will be able to make plays. They also couldn’t be a better fit for Depee; Burlage is the hammer that he needs to soften defenses and Gracey is the slick, home run hitter. The Tigers averaged just 15.4 PPG last year but should be much improved on that side of the ball. The question is can their young talent adjust to the speed of the game defensively in one of the state’s premier conferences. Depee turned Monett into a player in Class 3 because of how good they were defensively. If he can do the same with Ozark the Tigers will make a jump in the conference and compete for a district championship… Well, we know one thing about Willard; they will again be huge upfront. What we don’t know is who will take the snaps at quarterback and who they’ll be throwing or handing the ball off to. But, Brock Roweton has some options. Rudy Tapia leads the most experienced offensive line in the conference, but after years of Hunter Yeargan and Kyle Smith, the backfield is up in the air. Brock Howard could slide into a feature role for the Tigers and he ran well in limited carries last year. The quarterback position could get a jump start if Quinton Batson is able to play immediately. The junior is the most talented quarterback in the Ozarks and there isn’t a system that he doesn’t fit in. His eligibility could swing the balance of power in a conference that has a ton of parity… Branson has been at the bottom look up in the COC for the last half decade with zero seasons above .500 since 2010. The good news is Dan Henderson is a respected football mind in the Ozarks. The bad news is on paper the Pirates don’t return a ton. Luke Masters is one of the best receivers in the area, but he lost his quarterback from last year. Branson looked really good in 7-v-7 which suggests they should be much improved offensively. It’ll be interesting to see if this group of Pirates can right the ship.
Top Games
Aug. 19
Bolivar at Republic – Republic is looking to make a statement in the conference and Bolivar is trying to adjust to life after losing 17 starters. This is a chance for a huge non-conference win for the Tigers in a brutal stretch of games to open the season.
Webb City at Carl Junction – Well, again, this might the biggest game in the Ozarks. Carl Junction is the conference’s best hope at knocking off Webb City. Both sides haven’t been shy in stating their dislike for each other on Twitter and talking a little smack, adding fuel to a fire that is already burning. The fact that it’s the season-opening game only adds to the intrigue. If you’re going to see this one, get there EARLY.
Aug. 26
Webb City at Carthage – This one never gets old. Coach Guidie is one of the only coaches in the state that owns a win over John Roderique and there’s never any love lost between these two towns.
Willard at Nixa – Part of Willard’s emergence in the conference coincided with its ability to beat the conference powers, including Nixa in 2014. Both teams like to play physical football and this one will be no different.
Sep. 9
Nixa at Republic – These two split a pair of games last year, with Nixa getting the last laugh in districts. They hate each other in every sport, and Republic’s ability to compete on the gridiron is a relatively new thing. Wes Beachler is trying to build a winning culture at RepMo, winning games like this is imperative.
Sep. 16
Pittsburg (Kan.) at Webb City – Seems random, right? These two actually have some history and the last few meetings have been extremely competitive, with the Purple Dragons (no, I’m not making that up) beating Webb City, at Webb City, in 2003. Their last series was in 2006 and 2007, both years Webb one by one possession. Pittsburg has one of the nation’s top TE/DE in 4-star (Scout.com) Northwestern commit Trevor Kent. Good line play is the best way to slow the veer, which could make things interesting. For what it’s worth, Pittsburg was 9-2 last year with their losses coming to 5A state champion Mill Valley and the team they beat in the semifinals, St. Thomas Aquinas.
Oct. 7
Nixa at Ozark – You can make the case that there isn’t a better rivalry in any sport than this one. It hasn’t been much of a rivalry lately; Ozark hasn’t beaten Nixa since 2012. Oh, and don’t let me get y’all too excited, but because of how the districts broke down the possibility for an Ozark vs. Nixa Class 5 state championship now exists in football. Liiiiiiiit.
Oct. 14
Carl Junction at Nixa – This game could be the one that cements Carl Junction’s conference title if things go their way. The Bulldogs struggled with Lamar’s physicality in the past and Nixa is one of the most physical teams in the COC. This will be entertaining from a schematic standpoint.
Republic at Willard – They share a conference, share a district, share a mascot, and even share a school color. However, they don’t want to be linked together in the conference standings. Winner of this one will finish in the top half of the conference, loser is likely below .500.
Carthage at Neosho – Carthage took both meetings last year, with the first one being a one-possession thriller. Again, this is a team looking to build a program (Neosho) against an established power (Carthage). They’ve share a conference for years and with the Tigers’ graduation losses, this could be the break Neosho needs to knock off Carthage for the first time in more than a decade.
